The ECOWAS Investment and Development Bank (BIDC) signed a partnership agreement on Tuesday, November 18, 2025 in Abidjan, with AFG Holding SA for a credit line of 50 million euros (€) aimed at strengthening the growth of the private sector in space community.

During the signing ceremony, Dr. George Agyekum Donkor, President of the BIDC and its Board of Directors, reaffirmed the Bank's commitment to inclusive and sustainable development as a catalyst for creating wealth, promoting employment and the reduction of poverty in the ECOWAS region.

“Empowering the private sector is a key pillar for our efforts to address the continuing challenge of youth unemployment and foster economic resilience in our sub-region,” said Dr Donkor. He said that this partnership with Afg Holding SA will expand access to essential financing for the companies that are the lifeblood of our savings and contribute significantly to the value chain regional.

This partnership puts particularly the emphasis on strengthening SMEs, which constitute the backbone backbone of the West African economy. By expanding access to affordable capital in the long term, it is explained, this mechanism should help SMEs to develop their businesses, to adopt new technologies and to become more integrated into regional and global value chains, thus stimulating productivity and employment.

Afg Holding SA welcomed this partnership, which it considers as a catalyst for institutional growth and greater engagement deep in the real economy. Speaking on behalf of the institution, Kouakou Anzoua Abissa, Administrator of Afg Holding SA, expressed its deep gratitude to the BIDC for its trust and its support, reiterating Afg's commitment to deploying funds effectively and transparent in order to obtain tangible and measurable results in terms expansion of the private sector and economic diversification.